I have been doing my most recent IPAs with a Grain bill consisting of some Munich as follows: 89% 2 row pale, 8% Munich, 3% Crystal 45. So kindalike an English IPA malt bill.
My wife and I got a hold of some Pliney and liked it quite a bit. She wanted to see if I could brew our IPA with the dry Pliney bill (great wife)-- which I found to be 87% 2 row, 4% Crystal 45, 4% carapills, and 5% dextrose.
Question is, my IPA is only about 1.065 OG and usually ends up with a final gravity around 1.010-1.011 anyway. So I was thinking to ignore the dextrose and do 92% 2 row, 4% Crystal 45, and 4% carapills to go for a similar taste without having to use dextrose. Any opinions? Also add what OG to most people need/use dextrose to dry it out.
It all depends on personal taste - no guidelines I’m aware of. For one thing, Pliny is a IIPA, with a higher OG than 1.065. IIPAs benefit from subbing some sugar for base malt, to get a dry finish. IMO you don’t need a sugar addition for a 1.065 IPA to get a dry finish. Try mashing a couple degrees cooler. My IPA often finishes around 1.009-1.010 and is what I’m after. But don’t forget about water chemistry - increasing your sulfate content definitely contributes to a drier finish. Try targeting 180-250ppm sulfate (assuming you don’t) and you’ll see a definite difference. $0.02 .
I don’t usually add dextrose until I’m close to 1.080. I don’t think you need it in the 1.060-1.065 range. Honestly, I like your original bill better. I find the carapils to be a waste. I go from anywhere from 5-8% light Munich and 5ish% C40.
Are you doing anything with water chemistry? The more sulfates in the beer, the drier the beer will get. If you are not into chemistry, I suggest start investigating Bru’n water. It looks overwhelming at first, but easy peasy. In the meantime, I’d start adding a teaspoon of gypsum to the kettle for your IPA’s.
Agreed. No carapils/sugar is necessary at a 1.065 OG. Your grain bill can be as simple as base malt and a bit of light crystal/munich if desired. Mash low, use attenuative yeast strain and easily get to 1.010 FG.
Some super dry IPAs are finishing in the mid 1.00X’s range, and those would probably need some sugar (doesn’t need to be dextrose, regular table sugar is fine) even in the 1.060’s. So I guess it depends on how dry you want it. Personally, if I were dialing in a grain bill I’d tweak one variable at a time. I’d use the grain bill you proposed without sugar and see how it goes. If you want it drier, then you can always add sugar on a rebrew.
If I was going for dry, I’d replace the carapils with an equal weight of base malt or wheat malt. You’ll get less residual sweetness either way. The higher protein content of the wheat will increase head retention, if that has been an issue for you in the past.